the monthly hindu review | current affairs | august 2020€¦ · rbi’s 2nd bi-monthly monetary...



Contents

The Most Important Current Affairs August 2020............................................................................................... 3

Banking and Financial Current Affairs .................................................................................................................... 9

Business Current Affairs ............................................................................................................................................. 10

International Current Affairs .................................................................................................................................... 10

National Current Affairs .............................................................................................................................................. 11

States Current Affairs................................................................................................................................................... 13

Schemes/Committees .................................................................................................................................................. 14

Agreement/Memorandum of Understanding (MoU)........................................................................................ 15

Appointments/Resignations (National & International) ................................................................................ 15

Ranks and Reports ........................................................................................................................................................ 16

Sports Current Affairs .................................................................................................................................................. 16

Summits And Conferences ......................................................................................................................................... 18

Awards & Recognition ................................................................................................................................................. 18

Important Days .............................................................................................................................................................. 19

Defence Current Affairs............................................................................................................................................... 20

Science and Technology .............................................................................................................................................. 20

Books & Authors ............................................................................................................................................................ 21

Miscellaneous Current Affairs .................................................................................................................................. 21

Obituaries ........................................................................................................................................................................ 23

Static Takeaways ........................................................................................................................................................... 24



The Most Important Current Affairs August 2020

RBI’s 2nd Bi-Monthly Monetary Policy

Statement 2020-21 Released

The Monetary Policy Committee of the Reserve Bank of

India met on 4th, 5th and 6th August for its second

meeting of 2020-21. During the second Monetary Policy

meet, the MPC analysed the current & evolving

macroeconomic and financial conditions and has decided

to continue with the accommodative stance to revive

growth as well as to mitigate the impact of COVID-19.

With its decisions, MPC aims to keep inflation within the

target and hence to preserve financial stability.

Also, for the year 2020-21, as a whole, real GDP growth is

expected to be negative.

The key decisions taken in the Monetary Policy

Committee meeting are:

The repo rate under the liquidity adjustment facility

(LAF) has been kept unchanged at 4.00%.

The reverse repo rate under the LAF has been kept

unchanged at 3.35%.

The marginal standing facility (MSF) rate and the

Bank Rate have been kept unchanged at 4.25%.

PM Modi addresses on New Education Policy

2020

Prime Minister Narendra Modi has addressed the nation

on 7th August to deliver his speech on the New

Education Policy 2020. PM’s speech began with address

at the conclave on ‘Transformational Reforms in

Higher Education under National Education Policy’ is

being organised by the University Grants Commission and

Ministry of Education.

Key highlights and updates on PM’s speech:

National Research Foundation will work closely

with National Educational Technology Forum (NETF)

to enable scientific steps to include technology in the

education system.

K Kasturirangan, an Indian space scientist who has

played a crucial role in drafting the New Education

Policy 2020.

National Education Policy was approved after

extensive discussions over 3-4 years and

deliberation over lakhs of suggestions

New Education Policy is the foundation of

strengthening the 21st century India. Every student

will be future-ready and will contribute to nation-

building.

Union Minister of Agriculture & Farmers’

Welfare laun ches “Krishi Megh”

Krishi Megh (National Agricultural Research &

Education System -Cloud Infrastructure and Services)

has been launched. It will help in meeting the services

and infrastructure requirements of Digital Agriculture

of National Agricultural Research and Education

System (NARES).

The minister also launched the KVC ALUNET (Krishi

Vishwavidyalaya Chhatr Alumni Network) and Online

Accreditation System for Higher Agricultural

Educational Institutions (HEI).

The National Agricultural Higher Education Project

has been funded by the Government of India and the

World Bank.

Jal Shakti Minister launches Swachh Bharat

Mission Academy

The Swachh Bharat Mission Academy has been

launched by the Union Minister for Jal Shakti, Shri

Gajendra Singh Shekhawat.

It has been launched as a crucial part of the phase 2

of Swachh Bharat Mission (Grameen).

It is a phone-based academy and offers a 60-

minutes module, which is an IVR based training

course, covering a wide range of topics under Open

Defecation Free sustainability (ODF-S) as well as

Solid and Liquid Waste Management (SLWM).

It will ensure behaviour change and promote the

capacity building of the key stakeholders such as

Swachhagrahis, PRIs members, community-based

organizations, NGOs, SHGs etc.


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Raksha Mantri launches Naval Innovation and

Indigenisation Organisation

Naval Innovation and Indigenisation Organisation (NIIO) has been launched by the Raksha Mantri Shri Rajnath Singh.

NIIO is a three-tiered organisation and it will enable its end users to interact with academia as well as industry for the promotion of innovation and indigenisation for self-reliance in defence, with the help of its dedicated structures.

The twin aspects of innovation and indigenisation would be brought together by the Naval Technology Acceleration Council (N-TAC).

Forbes magazine released “The Highest-Paid

Actors Of 2020” list

Forbes magazine has released “The Highest-Paid

Actors Of 2020” list. Bollywood actor, Akshay Kumar is

the only Indian star to be listed among the top 10 world’s

highest-paid actors of 2020.

Top 6 highest-paid actors in the list of Forbes Magazine

2020:

S. No. Winner

1 Dwayne Johnson

2 Ryan Reynolds

3 Mark Wahlberg

4 Ben Affleck

5 Vin Diesel

6 Akshay Kumar

Gramodaya Bandhu Mitra Puraskaras

The awards recognise “Yeoman service rendered by

individuals and institutions to provide succour and

uplift the vast majority of our population dependent

on agriculture and allied activities for livelihood”.

Following is the list of winners of the Gramodaya

Bandhu Mitra Puraskaras:

Chairperson of Infosys Foundation, Sudha Murty;

Group Head of Agri and IT Businesses of ITC Ltd,

Sivakumar Surampudi; Padma Bhushan Vijay

Bhatkar; Padmasri SP Verma; Vilas Shinde (Director,

Sahyadri Farms); Koosam Rajamouli, Former

Sarpanch of Gangadevipalli in Telangana; Brig Pogula

Ganesham, Founder of Palle Srujana; and Govinda

Rajulu Chintala, Chairman of the Nabard.

Cabinet approves setting up of National

Recruitment Agency

The establishment of “National Recruitment Agency”

has received the Union Cabinet‘s approval. The National

Recruitment Agency (NRA) will result in transformational

reform in the recruitment process for central government

jobs. NRA will comprise of representatives of Ministry of

Railways, Ministry of Finance/Department of Financial

Services, the SSC, RRB as well as IBPS. NRA is expected

to be a specialist body which will offer the state-of-the-art

technology and best practices to the field of Central

Government recruitment. A sum of Rs. 1517.57 crore has

been sanctioned by the Government of India for the

National Recruitment Agency (NRA).

The National Recruitment Agency (NRA) would be a

multi-agency body which be responsible to conduct a

Common Eligibility Test (CET). Some important features

of CET:

The CET will be conducted to shortlist candidates for

the Group B and C (non-technical) posts.

The scores received by the candidate in CET shall be

valid for a period of 3-years from the date of

declaration of the result.

There shall be no restriction on the number of

attempts to be taken by a candidate to appear in the

Common Eligibility Test subject to the upper age limit.


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Separate CET each for the three levels of matriculate

(10th pass), higher secondary (12th pass) and the

graduated candidates.

Based on the screening done at the CET score level,

the final selection for recruitment shall be made via

separate specialised Tiers (II, III etc) of examination

which shall be conducted by the respective

recruitment agency.

Candidates will be able to reap the advantage of

registering on a common portal and give a choice of

Centres.

CET would be available in a number of languages.

CET is expected to significantly reduce the

recruitment cycle.

IIT Madras Tops Atal Rankings (ARIIA) 2020

The Indian Institute of Technology, Madras has

retained the top position in the ‘Atal Ranking of

Institutions on Innovation Achievements,’ (ARIIA)

2020 for being the best centrally funded institution in

India. The 2020 ‘Atal Ranking of Institutions on

Innovation Achievements (ARIIA),’ was released by

Vice President Venkaiah Naidu, in presence of Union

Minister of Education, Ramesh Pokhriyal ‘Nishank,’ in

a virtual event on 18 August 2020.

The top five centrally funded institutions in the list:

S. No. Winner

1 IIT Madras

2 IIT Bombay

3 IIT Delhi

4 IISc Bengaluru

5 IIT Kharagpur

For the first time, ARIIA 2020 rankings had a special prize

category for women-only higher educational institutions.

The winners of this category included:

S. No. Winner

1 Avinashilingam Institute For Home Science

And Higher Education For Women

2 Indira Gandhi Delhi Technical University for

Women

Swachh Survekshan Awards 2020 Announced

Swachh Survekshan 2020 awards have been

announced and Indore became India’s cleanest city

for the fourth year in a row. Union Minister Hardeep

Singh Puri announced the Swachh Survekshan 2020

result at the Award Ceremony ‘Swachh Mahotsav’ in

the national capital being organised by the Ministry of

Housing and Urban Affairs (MoUHA).

This is the fifth edition of the annual cleanliness

survey of the country. A total of 129 awards will be

handed out to the top-performing cities and states.

Swachh Survekshan was started by Prime Minister

Narendra Modi in 2016.

While Mysuru won the award for the cleanest city of

India in 2016, Indore retained the top spot for three

consecutive years in 2017, 2018 and 2019.

One city has been given only one Award. Cities

population is as per 2011 Census.

List of winners across several categories are given

below:

1. Cleanest city awards for cities with population above

1 lakh: – Indore (Madhya Pradesh)

2. Cleanest city awards for cities with population below

1 lakh: – Karad (Maharashtra)

3. Cleanest state with more than 100 cities: –

Chhattisgarh

4. Cleanest state with less than 100 cities: – Jharkhand

5. Cleanest Ganga town: – Varanasi (Uttar Pradesh)

6. Maximum citizen participation in keeping city areas

clean: – Shahjahanpur

7. Cleanest megacity with more than 40 lac population: –

Ahmedabad (Gujarat)

8. Best self-sustainable cities with population above 40

lakh: – Bengaluru (Karnataka)

9. Fastest-moving city in terms of cleanliness: – Jodhpur

(Rajasthan)

10. Self-sustainable city in terms of cleanliness (more

than 10 lakh population) : – Rajkot (Gujarat)

11. Self-sustainable city in terms of cleanliness (less than

10 lakh population) : – Mysuru (Karnataka)

12. Cleanest small cities: – Ambikapur (Chattisgarh)

13. Cleanest city with population between 1 lakh to 3

lakh: – Tirupati (Andhra Pradesh)


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14. Cleanest capital city: – New Delhi (Union Territory of

New Delhi) and the NDMC.

15. Fastest moving cleanest capital city: – Lucknow (Uttar

Pradesh)

16. Fastest moving self-sustainable cleanest capital city: –

Bhopal (Madhya Pradesh)

17. Cleanest Ganga towns: – Kanauj (Uttar Pradesh)

18. Cleanest city in the north Zone: – Gangaghat (Uttar

Pradesh)

19. Cleanest city in the north Zone (pop. 25k – 50k) : –

Nawashahar (Punjab)

20. Cleanest city in the north Zone (pop. below 25k) : –

Awagarh (Uttar Pradesh)

21. Cleanest city northeast Zone: – Jorhat (Assam)

22. Cleanest city in the northeast Zone (pop. 25k – 50k) :

– Mokukchung (Nagaland)

23. Cleanest city in the northeast Zone (pop. below 25k) :

– Jiribam (Manipur)

24. Cleanest cities in the east zone: – Dhamtari (Odisha)

25. Cleanest cities in the south zone: – Palamaneru

(Andhra Pradesh)

26. Cleanest cities in the western zone: – Ratnagiri

(Maharashtra)

27. Cleanest cantonments in the country: – Jalandhar

Cantt.

28. Cities awarded for citizen-led awareness towards

cleanliness: – Ujjain (Madhya Pradesh)

29. Best performing state with more than 100 cities: –

Maharashtra

30. Best performing state with less than 100 cities: –

Madhya Pradesh

National Sports Awards 2020 announced

National Sports Awards are conferred every year to

recognize and reward excellence in sports. The

Government of India has announced the list of winners of

the National Sports Awards 2020, as per the

recommendation of the Selection Committee headed by

Justice (Retd.) Mukundakam Sharma (former Judge of

Supreme Court of India). Honourable President of India

will confer the awards to the awardees at a specially

organized function through virtual mode from

Rashtrapati Bhawan on 29th August, 2020.

Here is the complete list of winners of the award:

RAJIV GANDHI KHEL RATNA AWARD: This award is

being conferred for the spectacular and most outstanding

performance in the field of sports by a sportsperson over

a period of four years.

S.No. Name of the

Sportsperson Discipline

1 Shri Rohit Sharma Cricket

2 Shri Mariyappan T. Para Athletics

3 Ms. Manika Batra Table Tennis

4 Ms. Vinesh Wrestling

5 Ms. Rani Hockey

ARJUNA AWARD: This award is being conferred for

consistent outstanding performance in the field of sports

by a sportsperson over a period of four years.

S.No. Name of the Sportsperson Discipline

1 Shri Atanu Das Archery

2 Ms. Dutee Chand Athletics

3 Shri Satwik Sairaj

Rankireddy Badminton

4 Shri Chirag Chandrasekhar

Shetty Badminton

5 Shri Vishesh Bhriguvanshi Basketball

6 Subedar Manish Kaushik Boxing

7 Ms. Lovlina Borgohain Boxing

8 Shri Ishant Sharma Cricket

9 Ms. Deepti Sharma Cricket

10 Shri Sawant Ajay Anant Equestrian

11 Shri Sandesh Jhingan Football


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12 Ms. Aditi Ashok Golf

13 Shri Akashdeep Singh Hockey

14 Ms. Deepika Hockey

15 Shri Deepak Kabaddi

16 Shri Kale Sarika Sudhakar Kho Kho

17 Shri Dattu Baban Bhokanal Rowing

18 Ms. Manu Bhaker Shooting

19 Shri Saurabh Chaudhary Shooting

20 Ms. Madhurika Suhas Patkar Table Tennis

21 Shri Divij Sharan Tennis

22 Shri Shiva Keshavan Winter Sports

23 Ms. Divya Kakran Wrestling

24 Shri Rahul Aware Wrestling

25 Shri Suyash Narayan Jadhav Para

Swimming

26 Shri Sandeep Para Athletics

27 Shri Manish Narwal Para Shooting

DRONACHARYA AWARD: This award is being conferred to coaches for producing medal winners at prestigious international sports events.

Life- Time Category

S.No. Name of the Coach Discipline

1 Shri Dharmendra Tiwary Archery

2 Shri Purushotham Rai Athletics

3 Shri Shiv Singh Boxing

4 Shri Romesh Pathania Hockey

5 Shri Krishan Kumar

Hooda Kabaddi

6 Shri Vijay Bhalchandra

Munishwar Para Powerlifting

7 Shri Naresh Kumar Tennis

8 Shri Om Parkash Dahiya Wrestling

Regular Category

S.No. Name of the Coach Discipline

1 Shri Jude Felix Sebastian Hockey

2 Shri Yogesh Malviya Mallakhamb

3 Shri Jaspal Rana Shooting

4 Shri Kuldeep Kumar

Handoo Wushu

5 Shri Gaurav Khanna Para Badminton

DHYAN CHAND AWARD: This award is being conferred

for the life time contribution towards the development of

sports.


1 Shri Kuldip Singh Bhullar Athletics

2 Ms. Jincy Philips Athletics

3 Shri Pradeep Shrikrishna

Gandhe Badminton

4 Ms. Trupti Murgunde Badminton

5 Ms. N. Usha Boxing

6 Shri Lakha Singh Boxing

7 Shri Sukhvinder Singh

Sandhu Football

8 Shri Ajit Singh Hockey

9 Shri Manpreet Singh Kabaddi

10 Shri J. Ranjith Kumar Para Athletics

11 Shri Satyaprakash Tiwari Para Badminton

12 Shri Manjeet Singh Rowing

13 Late Shri Sachin Nag Swimming

14 Shri Nandan P Bal Tennis

15 Shri Netarpal Hooda Wrestling


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RASHTRIYA KHEL PROTSAHAN PURUSKAR: This award is being conferred to the corporate entities (both in private and public sector) as well as individuals who have played a visible role in the area of sports promotion and its development.

S.No. Category

Entity recommended for

Rashtriya Khel Protsahan

Puruskar, 2020

1 Identification and

Nurturing of Budding and Young Talent

1. Lakshya Institute 2. Army Sports

Institute

2

Encouragement to sports through

Corporate Social Responsibility

Oil and Natural Gas Corporation (ONGC)

Ltd.

3

Employment of sportspersons and

sports welfare measures

Air Force Sports Control Board

4 Sports for

Development

International Institute of Sports

Management (IISM)

MAULANA ABUL KALAM AZAD (MAKA) TROPHY: This award is being conferred to the overall top performing university in inter-university tournaments. 1. Panjab University, Chandigarh TENZING NORGAY NATIONAL ADVENTURE AWARDS 2019: It is being awarded to recognize the spirit of adventure among the people of the country.

S.No. Name of the

Sportsperson Category

1 Ms. Anita Devi Land Adventure

2 Col. Sarfraz Singh Land Adventure

3 Shri Taka Tamut Land Adventure

4 Shri Narender Singh Land Adventure

5 Shri Keval Hiren

Kakka Land Adventure

6 Shri Satendra Singh Water Adventure

7 Shri Gajanand

Yadava Air Adventure

8 Late Shri Magan

Bissa

Life Time

Achievement

Ministry of Culture announces

7 new circles of ASI

The Union Minister of State for Culture and Tourism

(IC), Shri Prahlad Singh Patel has announced 7 new

circles of Archaeological Survey of India.

These new circles have been formed in Madhya

Pradesh, Tamil Nadu, Uttar Pradesh, Karnataka, West

Bengal and Gujarat.

Along with the 7 new circles, the minister also added

that the Hampi Mini Circle in Karnataka has been

converted into a full fledged circle.

Here is the list of all 7 new circles:

Trichy in Tamil Nadu

Raiganj in West Bengal

Rajkot in Gujarat

Jabalpur in Madhya Pradesh

Jhansi in Uttar Pradesh

Meerut in Uttar Pradesh

Hampi in Karnataka

NITI Aayog releases report on Export

Preparedness Index (EPI) 2020

NITI Aayog has released the report on Export

Preparedness Index (EPI) 2020 in partnership with

the Institute of Competitiveness.

Gujarat, Maharashtra and Tamil Nadu occupied the

top three ranks in the Export Preparedness Index

(EPI) 2020.

It evaluates the export preparedness and

performance of Indian states.


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It identifies the challenges and opportunities; improve the effectiveness of government policies; and promote a facilitative regulatory framework. Gujarat, Maharashtra and Tamil Nadu occupied the top three ranks in the Export Preparedness Index (EPI) 2020.

The structure of Export Preparedness Index (EPI) 2020 comprises of 4 pillars:

Policy Business Ecosystem

Export Ecosystem Export Performance According to the report, India faces the following three fundamental challenges in the export promotion: i) intra- and inter-regional disparities in export infrastructure ii) poor trade support and growth orientation among states iii) poor R&D infrastructure to promote complex and unique exports.

GoI enhances prize money in National Sports Awards

The Union Minister of Youth Affairs and Sports, Kiren Rijiju has announced an enhancement in the prize money in four of the seven categories of the National Sports and Adventure Awards. He made this announcement on the occasion of the National Sports Day 2020. The prize money for the Sports Awards was last reviewed in 2008. Hike in prize money of National Sports Awards:

The prize money for the Rajiv Gandhi Khel Ratna Award has been increased to 25 lakh rupees from the previous amount of 7.5 lakh rupees.

Arjuna Award has been enhanced to 15 lakh rupees from 5 lakh.

The Dhronacharya (Lifetime) awardees, who were earlier given 5 lakh rupees will now be given 15 lakh rupees as cash prize, while Dhronacharya (Regular) will be given 10 lakh instead of 5 lakh rupees per awardee.

Dhyanchand Awardees will be given 10 lakh rupees instead of 5 lakh rupees.

Banking and Financial Current Affairs

Kotak Mahindra Bank has announced the launch of a

two-month-long campaign called ‘Kona Kona

Umeed’ with huge offers and discounts to lift up hope

and optimism among its customers in the midst of the

Coronavirus pandemic.

Axis Bank has launched an Automated Voice

Assistant ‘AXAA’. AXAA is an artificial intelligence-

powered conversational voice BOT.

The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) has set up an

expert committee under veteran banker KV Kamath

to suggest financial parameters for resolution of

Covid-19 related stressed assets.

The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) has announced to

introduce a mechanism of ‘Positive Pay’ feature for

all cheques of value Rs 50,000 and above.

Punjab National Bank has launched a campaign

named ‘DIGITAL APNAYEN’ to encourage customers

to use digital banking channels.

HDFC Bank has launched “Shaurya KGC Card” for

Indian armed forces personnel. The card will offer

agriculture loans for military and paramilitary

professionals.

Fino Payments Bank has launched Jan BachatKhata

(JBK), which is an Aadhaar Authentication based

digital savings account that brings neo-banking

experience to consumers.

‘Loan against Securities’ is an unique digital solution

launched by the YES Bank under its loan in seconds

platform.

Lakshmi Vilas Bank (LVB) has launched LVB

DigiGo, a digital initiative to enable the opening of

savings account instantly.

Axis Bank has launched a new initiative named ‘Gig-

a-Opportunities’. The initiative aims to attract

skilled talent that can work with the bank remotely,

from anywhere in the country.

ICICI Lombard General Insurance Company and

Bharti AXA General Insurance Company have

announced the merger of their businesses. The

merger would result in an entity with a combined

annual premium of Rs 16,447 crore and a market

share of nearly 8.7%.

Axis Bank has launched a new initiative named ‘Gig-

a-Opportunities’ that aims to attract skilled talent

that can work with the bank remotely, from anywhere

in the country.

ICICI Lombard General Insurance Company and

Bharti AXA General Insurance Company have

announced the merger of their businesses which

would result in an entity with a combined annual

premium of Rs 16,447 crore and a market share of

nearly 8.7%.


10

SBI General Insurance has launched a first-of-its-

kind insurance product called ‘Shagun – Gift an

Insurance”, which is a unique gift of Personal

Accident policy. The policy can be gifted to anyone

and is not necessary for the policy buyer to be related

to the insured.

ICICI Bank has become the 1st bank in India to use

satellite data to assess the creditworthiness of

farmers.

National Bank for Agriculture and Rural

Development has revealed a dedicated debt and

credit guarantee product named as “Structured

Finance and Partial Guarantee Program for Non-

Banking Finance Companies (NBFC)-Micro Finance

Institutions (MFIs)”. It will offer undisturbed flow of

credit to the last mile in rural areas hit by the

pandemic.

Axis Bank has introduced ‘Liberty Savings Account’

for the Indian Youth, to address the ever-changing

lifestyle needs of young and digitally interested

Indians.

HDFC Bank has announced a strategic partnership

with Adobe to enhance the Digital Experiences of its

Customers. The partnership will help HDFC Bank to

deliver personalised digital experiences to existing as

well as new customers, at any time and anywhere.

Business Current Affairs

National Bank of Bahrain (NBB) has selected

Infosys Finacle to digitally transform its transaction

banking business.

Paytm has launched India’s 1st Pocket Android POS

(Point of Sale) Device named ‘Paytm All-in-One

Portable Android Smart POS’ for contactless

ordering and payments in India.

A Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) has been

signed by the Bombay Stock Exchange with Akola,

Maharashtra-based bullion trade and industry

associations namely Akola Sarafa Association and

Akola Sarafa Va Suvarnakar Yuva Sangh. The

partnership will seek to enhance cooperation

between the BSE and physical markets represented

by the two trade bodies in various areas like

knowledge sharing, education and training, events

as well as explore areas of mutual interests.

The proposed combination filed by Keihin

Corporation, Nissin Kogyo Co., Ltd., Showa

Corporation and Hitachi Automotive Systems, Ltd

has received the approval from the Competition

Commission of India (CCI).

Multi Commodity Exchange of India (MCX) will

launch India’s first bullion index named “Bulldex”, on

August 24, 2020.

The Asian Development Bank (ADB) has approved

a USD 1 billion (Rs 7,485 crore) loan to construct

the modern, high-speed 82-kilometre (Delhi –

Meerut) Uttar Pradesh Regional Rapid Transit

System (RRTS) in India.

Muthoot Finance has tie-up with Kotak Mahindra

General Insurance to offer COVID-19 insurance

cover of up to Rs 1 lakh against the gold loan.

Reliance Retail Ventures Limited (RRVL), wholly-

owned subsidiary of Reliance Industries Limited has

acquired majority equity stake in Chennai-based

Vitalic Health Pvt. Ltd. as well as in its subsidiaries.

A “Green Deposit Programme” has been launched

by the HSBC India. The “green deposit programme”

has been launched exclusively for corporate clients.

The proposed acquisition of C&S Electric Limited by

Siemens Limited has received the approval of the

Competition Commission of India (CCI).

Acquisition by Lightstone Fund S.A., for and on

behalf of Lightstone Global Fund (LGT) of certain

equity stakes of 91Streets Media Technologies Pvt.

Ltd. (91Streets), Ascent Health and Wellness

Solutions Pvt. Ltd. (Ascent), API Holdings Pvt. Ltd.

(API), Aahaan Commercials Pvt. Ltd. (Aahaan) and

Lokprakash Vidhya Pvt. Ltd. (Lokprakash) has been

approved by the Competition Commission of India

(CCI) under Section 31(1) of the Competition Act,

2002.

International Current Affairs


11

The United Arab Emirates became the first Arab

country to open a nuclear power plant, when the Unit

1 of the Barakah Nuclear Plant in Abu Dhabi, got

operational on 31 July 2020

Former Guyanese housing minister, Mohamed Irfaan

Ali has been named as the President of the country.

He is a member of the opposition People’s Progressive

Party (PPP).

Former Chief-of-Staff of the Guyana Defence Force,

Brigadier (retired) Mark Anthony Phillips has been

sworn in as Prime Minister of Guyana.

The United States Senate has unanimously passed a

bill banning the Chinese-owned video-sharing app

TikTok on government devices.

A “state of environmental emergency” has been

declared by the island nation of Mauritius, as a

Japanese bulk carrier “MV Wakashio” ran aground on

a reef in Mauritius and began leaking oil into the

ocean.

Sri Lanka’s former President, Mahinda Rajapaksa

took oath as the country’s Prime Minister for the

fourth time.

President of Belarus, Alexander Lukashenko has

won his sixth consecutive term in the country’s

presidential election.

Mohamed Ould Bilal has been appointed as the new

Prime Minister of Mauritania.

Walter Roger Martos Ruiz has become the new

Prime Minister of Peru.

Russia has become the first country to register a

coronavirus vaccine “Sputnik V” registered for use.

Prime Minister of Lebanon, Hassan Diab and his

entire government has resigned, in the wake of the

major blast in Beirut.

Malian President, Ibrahim Boubacar Keita has

resigned and dissolved parliament hours after

mutinying soldiers detained him at gunpoint,

plunging a country already facing an insurgency and

mass protests deeper into crisis.

Luis Rodolfo Abinader Corona has been sworn in as

the 54th President of Dominican Republic.

Keith Rowley sworn in as Prime Minister of the

Republic of Trinidad and Tobago for a 2nd

consecutive 5-year term. He is from the ruling

People’s National Movement (PNM).

Francisco Pascual Eyegue Obama Asue was

reappointed as the Prime Minister of the Republic of

Equatorial Guinea for 3rd consecutive term.

The Africa Regional Certification Commission

(ARCC), an independent body set up by the World

Health Organization (WHO), has certified the

African continent free from wild Polio virus.

China has successfully launched 5th Earth

observation satellite, Gaofen-9 (05), from the Jiuquan

Satellite Launch Center in northwest China.

Prime Minister of Japan, Shinzo Abe has announced

to step down from the post on 28 August 2020,

because of the poor health conditions.

National Current Affairs

The Small Industries Development Bank of India

(SIDBI) has launched one-stop knowledge portal

named as “MSMESaksham” in association with

TransUnion CIBIL.

Union Minister for Health and Family Welfare, Dr.

Harsh Vardhan has launched ‘Vidyarthi Vigyan

Manthan, 2020-21’. It is a national programme

which has been launched to popularize science among

school students of Class 6th to 11th.

A two-day international webinar on ‘Lokmanya Tilak

– Swaraj to Self-Reliant India’ was inaugurated by

Union Home Minister Shri Amit Shah.

In Himachal Pradesh, Union Education Minister,

Ramesh Pokhriyal Nishank has laid the foundation

stone of Indian Institute of Management (IIM) at

Dhaula Kuan in Sirmour district.

The Indian railways begin its “Kisan Rail” services to

transport perishable goods. India’s first ‘Kisan Rail’

will run between Devlali in Maharashtra’s Nashik

and will reach Danapur in Bihar. The train will

cover the journey of 1,519 km.

Indian Railways has launched an Overhead

Equipment (OHE) Inspection app which will help in

minimizing the train delays and long waits due to

technical snags.

India gives USD 15.5 million to the India-UN

Development Partnership Fund, under its

commitment to supporting developing nations in

their developmental priorities across all the

Sustainable Development Goals.

The Electronic Vaccine Intelligence Network

(eVIN) is an innovative technological solution

implemented under National Health Mission (NHM)

by Ministry of Health and Family Welfare

(MoHFW).


12

Line of Credit of worth 18 million US dollars has

been extended by the Government of India to the

Government of Maldives, with the primary objective

of expanding the fishing facilities at Maldives

Industrial Fisheries Company (MIFCO).

Bangladesh has decided to construct a monument

for the Indian soldiers who died in 1971 during the

Bangladesh’s struggle for independence from

Pakistan.

Submarine Optical Fibre Cable (OFC) connecting

Andaman & Nicobar Islands to the mainland has

been launched. The 2300 Kms long submarine cable

will boost the endless opportunities in the Andaman

& Nicobar Islands by providing better internet &

mobile connectivity.

National Portal on Human-Elephant conflict called

“SURAKHSYA” has been launched to collect real-time

information and to manage conflicts on a real-time

basis.

National Infrastructure Pipeline (NIP) Online

Dashboard has been launched. NIP will act as one

stop solution for all stakeholders seeking for

information on infrastructure projects in New India.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi rolled out the

platform for “Transparent Taxation – Honoring the

Honest”. The new platform will carry forward the

journey of direct tax reforms and will also reward the

honest taxpayers.

Indian Railways is observing “Cleanliness Week”

from 10th August in order to mark the Independence

Day.

2nd edition of Student Entrepreneurship

Programme (SEP 2.0) has been rolled out by the Niti

Aayog’s Atal Innovation Mission (AIM) in

collaboration with Dell Technologies. It will enable

young innovators of Atal Tinkering Labs (ATLs) to

work closely with Dell volunteers.

Reliance Foundation has launched the “W-GDP

Women Connect Challenge” across India in

association with US Agency for International

Development (USAID) and Women’s Global

Development and Prosperity (W-GDP).

Prime Minister Narendra Modi has announced the

“One Sun, One World, One Grid” (OSOWOG) plan.

Under this, there will be a trans-national electricity

grid, for supplying solar power across the globe.

A campaign on “Ayush for Immunity” has been

launched by the Ministry of AYUSH. The webinar was

streamed by the Ministry of AYUSH on its new digital

communication platform Ayush Virtual Convention

Centre (AVCC).

Ministry of Tribal Affairs has launched the Tribal

Health and Nutrition Portal “Swasthya” and e-

newsletter on health and nutrition “ALEKH”. The

ministry has also announced the opening of National

Overseas Portal and National Tribal Fellowship

Portal.

An “Innovation Challenge Fund” of £3 Million has

been launched by the government of United

Kingdom (UK) in India. The newly launched fund

aims to support research and development (R&D)

proposals to address the challenges posed to the

economy and the environment, by the COVID-19

pandemic.

Drone based surveillance system has been

introduced by the Indian Railways for Railway

security. The Railway Protection Force (RPF) has

decided to employ large number of drones for the

purpose of Railway security.

Ministry of Tribal Affairs has signed a joint

communication with Ministry of Rural Development

to promote sustainable livelihood opportunities.

Through the joint communication, both ministries will

together promote sustainable livelihood

opportunities among tribal women Self Help Groups

(SHGs) under National Rural Livelihood Mission

(NRLM).

Prime Minister Narendra Modi unfurled the national

flag and delivered his seventh consecutive

Independence Day speech from the iconic Red Fort. In

the 1 hour 26-minute speech, he focused on the

themes of “Aatma Nirbhar Bharat (self-reliant

India)”, “Vocal for local” and “Make in India to

Make for World”.

Union Minister for road transport and highways, Nitin

Gadkari has launched a mobile app named ‘Harit

Path’ to monitor plantation along national highways.


13

An online system of Registration and Renewal of

Jewellers has been launched along with the online

system of recognition and renewal of the Assaying

and Hallmarking Centres. These systems are

expected to bring about ease of doing business for the

jewellers as well as the entrepreneurs. Hallmarking

of precious metals will become mandatory from 1st

June 2021.

“Tribes India Showroom” has been e-inaugurated in

Indian Globe Chambers of LIC Western Zonal Office,

Fort, Mumbai. It is an initiative of TRIFED, Ministry of

Tribal Affairs to promote the livelihood of the tribal

people marketing.

TRIFED has launched the “Tribes India on Wheels”,

a van which brings various kinds of immunity

boosting products like wild honey, organic haldi,

amla, ginger, black pepper etc. It will boost the sales

and enhance tribal income in these challenging times.

The longest river ropeway of India has been

inaugurated in Assam. It is 1.8 Km long and connects

Guwahati and North Guwahati over Brahmaputra

river.

The India Component of the Nationally Determined

Contributions (NDC)–Transport Initiative for Asia

(TIA) will be launched by the NITI Aayog. It aims to

set up a multi-stakeholder dialogue platform to

decarbonize transport in India.

Union Minister of Commerce and Industry, Shri

Piyush Goyal has virtually launched the “National

GIS-enabled Land Bank system“.

“Chunauti”, a Next Generation Startup Challenge

Contest has been launched to further boost startups

and software products with special attention on Tier-

II towns of India.

Government of India, the Government of

Maharashtra, Mumbai Railway Vikas Corporation

and the Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank (AIIB)

has signed a loan agreement for a $500 million

Mumbai Urban Transport Project-III.

Department of Pension & Pensioners’ Welfare has

decided to integrate the electronic Pension Payment

Order (e-PPO) with Digi Locker.

Government of Dubai Authority on commodities

trade and enterprise, Dubai Multi Commodities

Centre (DMCC) has rolled out a technology-driven

agri-commodity trading and sourcing platform

“Agriota E-Marketplace”.

States Current Affairs

Madhya Pradesh Urban Development and Housing

Minister, Bhupendra Singh has launched a public

awareness campaign “Ek Mask-Anek Zindagi” from

August 1-15

Andhra Pradesh government has launched an

innovative virtual cybercrime awareness programme

named as ‘E-Raksha Bandhan’.

“Bharat Air Fibre Services” has been inaugurated by

the Union Minister of State for HRD, Electronics,

Communication, and IT, Govt Of India, Shri Sanjay

Dhotre. The services were inaugurated at Akola in

Maharashtra.

The “Thenzawl Golf Resort” Project has been

virtually inaugurated by the Union Minister of State

for Culture & Tourism (I/C) Shri Prahlad Singh Patel.

The project has been implemented under the

Swadesh Darshan Scheme of Ministry of Tourism,

Government of India.

Chhattisgarh Chief Minister, Bhupesh Baghel has

launched a social security scheme “Shaheed

Mahendra Karma Tendupatta Sangrahak Samajik

Suraksha Yojana” for tendu leave collectors in the

state.

Maharashtra government has tied up with Google

to provide online education to students in the state.

Maharashtra is the first state in the country that is

launching such a project.

Khadi and Village Industries Commission (KVIC) will

open the Silk Training cum Production Center in

the tribal village of Chullyu in Arunachal Pradesh.

A webinar with title ‘AtmaNirbhar Madhya

Pradesh: Health and Education’ was inaugurated by

Union Minister of Education Ramesh Pokhriyal

‘Nishank’ in New Delhi.


14

Mukhya Mantri Kisan Sahay Yojana has been

announced by the Gujarat for the current Kharif

season and all farmers of the state will be covered

under this scheme.

Chhattisgarh Government has launched the “Indira

Van Mitan” Yojana to make the forest dwellers of

the state self reliant. Under this, government will

form groups of youth in 10,000 villages of tribal

areas and they will be responsible to conduct all

forest based economic activities.

Assam government would provide Rs 830 per

month each to 17 lakh poor families under the

ambitious “Orunodoi” scheme, to financially

empower women.

Price Monitoring and Resource Unit (PMRU) has been established in Karnataka by National Pharmaceutical Pricing Authority (NPPA), Department of Pharmaceuticals, Ministry of Chemicals and Fertilizers, Government of India, in association with Karnataka State Drug Control Department.

Chief Minister of Nagaland, Neiphiu Rio has launched “Yellow Chain” a centralized e-commerce system to provide the people of the state integrated platform to build sustainable businesses either in products or services from their own locations for sustainable economic activity.

Chhattisgarh government has announced to launch a student centric scheme named as “Padhai Tuhar Para”.

Quality Control Lab has been set up by the Marine Products Export Development Authority (MPEDA) in Porbandar, Gujarat.

The tertiary processing centres of “Trifood Project” of TRIFED, Ministry of Tribal Affairs has been virtually launched by the Union Tribal Affairs Minister Arjun Munda. The Trifood project has been launched in Raigad, Maharashtra and Jagdalpur, Chhattisgarh.

The Chhatarpur Police of Madhya Pradesh has been running a campaign “Ek Sankalp-Bujurgo ke naam” in the midst of corona infection in the state.

WWF-India Kerala State Office is joining hands with the Society for Odonate Studies (SOS) and Thumbipuranam for the first-ever state “Dragonfly Festival” in Kerala, christened ‘Thumbimahotsavam 2020’.

Uttar Pradesh government has launched the NRI unified portal. It will enable Overseas Indians and NRIs to get their issues resolved with the help of this portal in cooperation with local administration or the State Government.

Chief Minister of Kerala, Pinarayi Vijayan has

commissioned the first-ever marine ambulance

named ‘PRATHEEKSHA’ at Vizhinjam village of

Thiruvananthapuram district in Kerala.

Kerala will establish the first international

women’s trade centre (IWTC) of India at

Angamaly. The IWTC would be set by Kerala in

consonance with the United Nations Sustainable

Development Goals (SDGs).

“Major Dhyan Chand Vijaypath Yojana” has been

launched by the Uttar Pradesh government. Under

this scheme, 19 international players from the state of

Uttar Pradesh will get road connectivity to their

houses.

The first-ever “seaplane services in Gujarat” will be

commenced from 31 October 2020. The seaplane

service will offer seamless and affordable air

connectivity from Sabarmati Riverfront in

Ahmedabad to Statue of Unity in Kevadia in Gujarat.

Spicejet Airline will operate the seaplane service to

be commenced on the birth anniversary of Sardar

Vallabhbhai Patel.

Schemes/Committees

Unique employment generation program “Khadi

Agarbatti Aatmanirbhar Mission” has been

approved by the Union Minister for MSME, Shri Nitin

Gadkari. The programme has been proposed by the

Khadi and Village Industries Commission (KVIC) to

make India Aatmanirbhar in Agarbatti production.

Dr V K Paul, Member Niti Aayog has chaired the

meeting of National Expert Group on Vaccine

Administration for COVID-19.


15

Agreement/Memorandum of Understanding

(MoU)

Reliance Power and Japanese energy major JERA

have signed an agreement with a group of banks for

their new gas-fired thermal power generation project

in Bangladesh. The signed agreement is for a new

745 MW natural gas combined-cycle power project

in Meghnaghat in Bangladesh.

The Department of Defence (DoD) Ministry of

Defence (MoD) has signed a tripartite Memorandum

of Understanding (MoU) with the Department of

Administrative Reforms & Public Grievances

(DARPG) and Indian Institute of Technology,

Kanpur (IITK). The MoU will support the MoD in

identifying the cause and nature of grievances and

to introduce systemic changes and policy

interventions wherever required.

Airtel Payments Bank has partnered with Bharti

AXA General Insurance to offer “Smart Plan Shop

Package Policy” for the financial protection of the

bank’s retailers and merchants.

Boston Group has signed an MoU with the Andhra

Pradesh government to set up an IT company in

Visakhapatnam, Andhra Pradesh.

Flipkart has signed an MoU with One District, One

Product (ODOP) scheme of the Government of Uttar

Pradesh. It will bring the artisans, weavers and

craftsmen under the ODOP scheme into the scope of

the “Flipkart Samarth” initiative.

An Memorandum of understanding (MoU) has been

signed by India’s homegrown ecommerce player

“Flipkart” with Indian Institutes of Technology

(IIT) Patna. The MoU will encourage industry

focused applied research in the areas of Artificial

Intelligence (AI), Natural Language Processing

(NLP) and Machine Learning (ML).

Atal Innovation Mission (AIM), NITI Aayog and

Business Sweden on behalf of India Sweden

Healthcare Innovation Centre has signed a virtual

Statement of Intent (SoI) to expand the culture of

innovation in the country.

Ministry of Skill Development has inked an MoU

with Ministry of Shipping to promote skill

development in port and maritime sector. The

partnership between the two ministries seeks to skill,

re-skill and up-skill the manpower for the growing

maritime industry as well as development of coastal

community.

A Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) has been

signed by the Indian Institute of Management

Kozhikode (IIM-K) with the Switzerland-based HELP

Logistics. The partnership between the two entities

seeks to produce humanitarian logistics in India and

the region by offering consulting services as well as

logistics training for the humanitarian community

such as United Nations bodies, government

institutions and non-governmental organisations.

Uttar Pradesh government has signed a ‘plan of

cooperation’ with Israel government to resolve

water crisis in Bundelkhand region.

Ministry of Tourism has signed a formal MOU with

the Travel Agents Association of India (TAAI) and

FICCI Ladies Organisation (FLO) with primary

objective of women empowerment. The partnership

aims to increase the participation of women in the

tourism sector and make them an integral part of the

tourism workforce of India.

Agricultural and Processed Food Products Export

Development Authority (APEDA) has signed MoUs

with AFC India Limited, and National Cooperative

Union of India (NCUI), Delhi, to synergize the

activities in the interest of agriculture and allied

sectors.

National e-Governance Division (NeGD), Ministry of

Electronics & IT has partnered with CSC (Common

Service Center) e Governance Services India Limited

to enable delivery of UMANG services to citizens

through the network of 3.75 lakh CSCs.

Appointments/Resignations (National &

International)

The Reserve Bank of India has approved the

appointment of Sashidhar Jagdishan as the next

Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of HDFC Bank. He will

replace Aditya Puri.

The Lieutenant-Governor of Jammu Kashmir, Girish

Chandra Murmu has resigned from his post.

Murmu’s resignation on the first anniversary of the

abrogation of Article 370 which gave special status to

the erstwhile state.

President Ram Nath Kovind has appointed former

Union minister Manoj Sinha as the next Lieutenant

Governor of Jammu and Kashmir.

Former Jammu and Kashmir Lt Governor, Girish

Chandra Murmu has been appointed as the new


16

Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG) of India.

He is the 14th CAG of India.

Educationist Professor, Pradeep Kumar Joshi has

appointed as the chairman of the Union Public

Service Commission (UPSC).

Odisha cadre IPS officer, P S Ranipse has been

appointed as Inspector General (IG), in Central

Reserve Police Force (CRPF).

PNB Housing Finance has announced the

appointment of the former SBI Card head, Hardayal

Prasad as its new managing director and chief

executive officer.

Harsh Kumar Bhanwala has been appointed as

executive chairman of the Capital India Finance

Limited.

Pramod Bhasin has been appointed as a new

Chairman of Indian Council for Research on

International Economic Relations (ICRIER).

Soma Mondal has been selected by the Public

Enterprises Selection Board (PESB) as the next

chairman of Steel Authority of India Limited (SAIL).

Former RBI deputy governor, Subhash Sheoratan

Mundra has been appointed as non-executive

chairman of Indiabulls Housing Finance (IBH).

Sameer Gehlaut has become the chief executive

officer of Indiabulls Ventures Ltd.

Vice Admiral Dinesh K Tripathi, AVSM, NM has

become the Director General Naval Operations

(DGNO).

Kaushik Khona has been appointed as the Chief

Executive Officer of GoAir Airline. He will replace

Vinay Dube.

Amritsar based e-mobility start-up, eBikeGO has

appointed Indian cricketer Harbhajan Singh as its

brand ambassador.

Government of India has appointed Rakesh Asthana

as the new director-general of the Border Security

Force (BSF).

The Securities and Exchange Board of India (Sebi)

has appointed GP Garg as executive director (ED).

Ashok Lavasa has stepped down as the Election

Commissioner of India. He has submitted his

resignation to President of India, Ram Nath Kovind.

President of India, Ram Nath Kovind has appointed

Satya Pal Malik as the Governor of Meghalaya with

effect from 18 August 2020. Prior to this, He was

serving as the Governor of Goa.

Sports eyewear brand “Oakley” has appointed Indian

cricketer, Rohit Sharma as its brand ambassador for

a period of two years in India.

The Government of India has appointed Rajiv

Kumar as the new Election Commissioner of India.

He will be appointed as the election commissioner

“with effect from the date he assumes the office.

Government of India has appointed Ashwani Bhatia

as the managing director (MD) of the State Bank of

India (SBI). He will replace PK Gupta.

Renowned Indian scientist, G Satheesh Reddy was

given a two-year extension as the chairman of

Defence Research and Development Organisation

(DRDO).

Indian Energy Exchange (IEX), Managing Director and

Chief Executive Officer, Rajiv Srivastava has resigned

from the post. Satyanarayan Goel has been given the

additional charges as the interim MD and CEO of the

company.

TikTok CEO, Kevin Mayer has stepped down from

the post.

Ranks and Reports

India has been ranked 57th in Digital Quality of

Life Index 2020 with overall score of 0.5. Denmark

has topped the index and was followed by Sweden.

According to the data provided by Ministry of Finance

to Rajya Sabha, Tamil Nadu has topped the list of

Pradhan Mantri Mudra Yojana (PMMY) in availing

loans to women. It was followed by West Bengal and

Karnataka.

Sports Current Affairs

Mercedes driver, Lewis Hamilton has won the

Formula One British Grand Prix 2020 held at the

Silverstone Circuit, United Kingdom.

India has withdrawn from the women’s world team

Squash championship scheduled in Kuala Lumpur,

Malaysia from 15th to 20th December, due to lack

of preparation, time and match-readiness of its

players.


17

The Indian Government has provisionally granted

permission for the 13th edition of Indian Premier

League’s (IPL’s) 2020 to be rescheduled in the

United Arab Emirates (UAE) from September 19 to

November 10, 2020, due to COVID-19 outbreak. BCCI

has also decided to host a Women’s T20 Challenge to

be held from November 1 to 10 in UAE.

World Cup winner German footballer, Benedikt

Howedes has retired from football.

Former Real Madrid and Spain goalkeeper, Iker

Casillas have retired from football.

The International Cricket Council has confirmed

that the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2020 that was

postponed due to Covid-19 will be held in Australia

in 2022. India will host the ICC Men’s T20 World

Cup 2021 as planned. ICC has also decided to

postpone the ICC Women’s Cricket World Cup 2021

in New Zealand till February-March 2022 because of

the impact the Covid-19 pandemic has had on cricket

globally.

Ministry of Youth Affairs and Sports will organise

the “Fit India Freedom Run” from 15th August to

02nd October 2020 to mark the 74th Independence

Day of India on August 15 to 151st birth anniversary

of Mahatma Gandhi on October 2.

Red Bull racer, Max Verstappen has won the 70th

Anniversary Grand Prix.

Indian Umpire, KN Ananthapadmanabhan has been

included in ICC’s international panel of umpires.

Former Indian Captain and the World Cup winner,

Mahendra Singh Dhoni has announced his

retirement from the International Cricket. He

represented India in 350 ODI’s, 98 T20 Internationals

(T20Is) and 90 test matches.

Indian batsman Suresh Raina has announced his

retirement from the International Cricket. He made

his international debut against Sri Lanka in 2005 and

represented India in 226 ODIs, 78 T20Is and 18 Tests

in his cricketing career that spanned over 13 years.

Lewis Hamilton (Mercedes-Great Britain) has won

the Formula One Spanish Grand Prix 2020 held at

Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya, Spain. Max

Verstappen (Red Bull–Netherlands) came second

followed by Valtteri Bottas (Mercedes-Finland) at

third.

“Fit India Youth Club” initiative has been launched

by the Union Minister of Youth and Sports, Kiren

Rijiju. Fit India Youth Club is an nation-wide initiative

which has been launched to promote fitness among

every citizen.

All India Football Federation (AIFF) has launched

the web platform “E-Pathshala” in partnership with

the Sports Authority of India (SAI). It has been split

into three parts:My Football Culture, My Skills and My

Training.

The title sponsorship rights of Indian Premier

League (IPL) 2020 has been bagged by the fantasy

gaming start-up “Dream 11“. The fantasy gaming

start-up has bagged the title sponsorship rights for Rs

222 crore.

England World Cup winner all-rounder, Laura Marsh

has announced her retirement from all forms of

cricket.

The governing body for the Olympic Movement in

India, Indian Olympic Association (IOA) and INOX

Group has signed a sponsorship agreement to

support Team India for Tokyo Olympics, which was

rescheduled to be held from July 23 to August 8, 2021.

Ronnie O’Sullivan defeated Kyren Wilson with a

score of 18-8 to win the World Snooker

Championship 2020.

Legendary South African all-rounder Jaques Kallis,

Pakistan batting great Zaheer Abbas and Pune-born

former Australian captain Lisa Sthalekar have been

inducted into the International Cricket Council’s

Hall of Fame

Australian all-rounder Cameron White has

announced his retirement from all forms of

professional cricket.

German professional sports club, Bayern Munich has

won the UEFA Champions League 2019-20 title by

defeating Paris Saint-Germain 1-0.


18

German Golfer Sophia Popov has won the Women’s

British Open 2020 title (rebranded as 2020 AIG

Women’s Open).

Indian Table Tennis star, Poulomi Ghatak has

announced retirement.

England’s James Anderson has become the first-ever

fast bowler to take 600 wickets in a Test Match

Cricket.

The most successful men’s doubles pair in tennis

history, Mike Bryan and Bob Bryan have announced

their retirement from the sport.

India will host the BRICS Games 2021, which will be

aligned with the Khelo India Games scheduled for

next year.

West Indies All-Rounder, Dwayne John Bravo has

became the first bowler to scalp 500 wickets in

Twenty20 cricket.

Sri Lankan Opening batsman, Nishad Tharanga

Paranavitana has announced retirement from all

forms of International Cricket.

India and Russia have become the joint winners of

FIDE online Chess Olympiad. World chess governing

body FIDE declared both the finalists as joint winners

after at least two games in the second match were

affected by internet connectivity issues.

Summits And Conferences

The 6th BRICS Environment Ministers’ Meeting was held under the presidency of Russia. The Environment Ministers of the Federative Republic of Brazil, the Russian Federation, the Republic of India, the People’s Republic of China and the Republic of South Africa participated in the meeting. The meeting was preceded by the BRICS Working Group meeting. India will host the next meeting in 2021.

Union Minister of Commerce and Industry, Piyush Goyal has inaugurated the National Digital Conference on “Easing Doing Business for Atmanirbhar Bharat”. This conference is organized by the Confederation of Indian Industry (CII) with the Department for Promotion of Investment and Internal Trade (DPIIT) to improve the business environment of India.

Confederation of Indian Industries (CII) has organised the “India@75 Summit – Mission 2022” focusing on ‘reinventing technology in India’.

Russia chaired the 4th Meeting of the BRICS Anti-Drug Working Group. The session which was held over video conference, featured the participation of

delegates from Brazil, Russia, China, South Africa and India. Rakesh Asthana, Director General, Narcotics Control Bureau led the Indian delegation that participated in the meeting.

The 13th Session of the India-UAE Joint Commission Meeting on Trade, Economic and Technical Cooperation was held to review the continuing growth of broad based cooperation between the two countries. The session was co-chaired by Dr. Subrahmanyam Jaishankar, Minister of External Affairs of India and Sheikh Abdullah Bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation of the United Arab Emirates.

5th World Conference of Speakers of Parliament

(5WCSP) was held virtually. The Inter-

Parliamentary Union (IPU), Geneva, and the

Parliament of Austria jointly organized the two day

Conference with the support of the United Nations

(UN). Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla participated in the

inaugural ceremony of the conference.

The 17th meeting of the India-Vietnam Joint

Commission on Trade, Economic, Scientific and

Technological Cooperation was held virtually. It was

co-chaired by External Affairs Minister Dr. S.

Jaishankar and his Vietnamese counterpart Pham

Binh Minh.

National Council for Promotion of Urdu Language

(NCPUL) has organised the “World Urdu

Conference” in New Delhi.

Awards & Recognition

SKOCH Gold Award has been awarded to the

Ministry of Tribal Affairs (MoTA) for its


19

“Empowerment of Tribals through IT enabled

Scholarship Schemes” project. The 66th SKOCH 2020

Competition was held with name “INDIA RESPONDS

TO COVID THROUGH DIGITAL GOVERNANCE”.

Journalist Nitin Sethi has won the Asian College of

Journalism’s (ACJ) Award 2019 for Investigative

Journalism for his six-part series titled “Paisa

Politics” published by The Huffington Post India.

Journalist Shiv Sahay Singh has won the K. P.

Narayana Kumar Memorial Award for Social Impact

Journalism for his story titled “Death by digital

exclusion: On faculty public distribution system in

Jharkhand” published in The Hindu.

A total of 121 Police personnel have been awarded

the “Union Home Minister’s Medal for Excellence

in Investigation” for the year 2020.

Government of India Navratna, NLC India Limited

(NLCIL) has bagged the “Swachhta Hi Seva award”

for transforming Neyveli Township into a plastic-free,

clean and green campus.

Hyderabad’s, Neelakantha Bhanu Prakash

Jonnalagadda has bagged the first-ever Gold Medal

for India in Mental Calculations World Cup (MCWC)

by Mind Sports Olympiad (MSO).

Dutch Author, Marieke Lucas Rijneveld has won the

International Booker Prize 2020 for her debut novel

‘The Discomfort of Evening’. The book was in Dutch

in 2018 and was translated into English by Michele

Hutchison. The £50,000 prize ($66,000) will be split

equally between the author and translator to give

equal recognition to both.

Ms. Sudha Painuli has been selected for National

Award to Teachers 2020. She is the first NAT

Awardee from the Eklavya Model Residential Schools

(EMRS) established under Ministry of Tribal Affairs.

She is among the 47 outstanding teachers selected for

the award.

Important Days

World Sanskrit Day, (also known as Sanskrit Diwas),

is celebrated every year on Shraavanapoornima, that

is the Poornima day of the Shraavana month in the

Hindu calendar, which is also marked as Raksha

Bandhan. In 2020, this day is being observed on 3

August 2020.

The World Breastfeeding Week is marked every

year in the first week of August, between 1 to 7

August to raise awareness on the importance of

breastfeeding for mothers and infants.The theme of

World Breastfeeding Week 2020 is “Support

breastfeeding for a healthier planet”.

Annually 6th of August marks the anniversary of the

atomic bombing in Hiroshima during World War II.

The horrific incident took place on August 6, 1945,

when the United States dropped an atomic bomb

named “Little Boy”, on the town of Hiroshima in

Japan.

Nation observes “National Handloom Day” on 7th

August every year. This day is celebrated to honour

the handloom weavers in the country and also

highlight the handloom industry.

The 78th anniversary of the August Kranti Din or

Quit India Movement, which is considered as one of

the important milestones in the history of freedom

struggle of our country, is being observed. After

the failure of Cripps Mission, Gandhiji gave the call to

“Do or Die” in his Quit India speech delivered at

the Gowalia Tank Maidan in Mumbai.

United Nations observes the International Day of

the World’s Indigenous Peoples on 09th August

every year. The theme of day for 2020 is “COVID-19

and indigenous peoples’ resilience”.

Ministry of Petroleum and Natural Gas celebrates the

World Biofuel Day on 10th August every year. On

the occasion, the ministry also organized the webinar

with the theme “Biofuels towards Atmanirbhar

Bharat”.

International Youth Day (IYD) is observed globally

on 12th August every year. The theme of

International Youth Day 2020, “Youth Engagement

for Global Action”.

World Elephant Day is celebrated every year on

August 12 to create elephant conservation and share

knowledge for better protection of wild captive

elephants.

World Organ Donation Day is observed globally on

13th August every year.

World Humanitarian Day (WHD) is observed

globally on 19th August every year. This day is

celebrated to pay tribute to humanitarian personnel

and those workers who lost or risked their lives while

doing humanitarian service.

Every year on 20th August, the birth anniversary of

Rajiv Gandhi is celebrated as Sadbhavana Diwas or


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Harmony Day. This year on 20th August 2020, we are

going to celebrate the 76th birth anniversary of

former Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi.

Indian Akshay Urja Day or Renewable Energy Day is

observed on 20th August every year. Indian Akshay

Urja is observed to mark the importance of

renewable energy resources in India.

World Photography Day is celebrated every year on

August 19. It is a day to recognise the importance of

photography in our world.

United Nations observes 21st August every year as

International Day of Remembrance and Tribute to

the Victims of Terrorism.

The World Senior Citizen Day is observed globally

on 21st August every year.

United Nations observes 23 August every year as

“International Day for the Remembrance of the

Slave Trade and its Abolition”.

The World Water Week 2020 is observed as the

World Water Week at Home (WWWeek at Home)

from 24th August to 28th August 2020 with the

theme ‘Water and Climate change: Accelerating

Action’.

The 100th anniversary of the Women’s Equality Day

is being observed in the United States on August 26,

to commemorate American women getting the

constitutional right to vote.

International Day against Nuclear Tests is

observed globally on 29th August every year.

India observes 29th August every year as National

Sports Day. The day is celebrated on the birth

anniversary of Major Dhyan Chand, who was the star

of Indian hockey team.

United Nations observes International Day of the

Victims of Enforced Disappearances globally on

30th of August every year.

Defence Current Affairs

India will take part in the multilateral military

"Russian Kavkaz 2020" strategic command-post

exercise to be held in Astrakhan, Russia. The Indian

contingent includes 150 Army personnel and a

smaller number of personnel from the Navy and Air

Force.

Indian Coast Guard (ICG) has launched an

Interceptor Boat ‘ICGS C-454’ in Surat, Gujarat. The

Interceptor Boat ‘ICGS C-454’ has been built by Larsen

and Toubro and it has a maximum speed of 45

nautical miles or 83 kilometers per hour.

Chief of the Air Staff, Rakesh Kumar Singh

Bhadauria has launched a mobile application named

‘MY IAF’ to provide career-related information and

details to the aspirants who wish to join the Indian Air

Force.

India Pavilion at the Army-2020 International

Military and Technical Forum was inaugurated by

Secretary (Defence Production) Raj Kumar and Indian

Ambassador DB Venkatesh Verma at Moscow, Russia.

The 14th India-Singapore Defence Policy Dialogue

(DPD) was held virtually. Defence Secretary Dr Ajay

Kumar and Permanent Secretary (Defence), Singapore

Mr Chan Heng Kee co-chaired the virtual dialogue.

Directorate General National Cadet Corps (DGNCC)

Mobile Training App has been launched to provide

support in conducting countrywide online training of

NCC cadets as it has been affected adversely due to

the restrictions imposed by COVID-19.

Science and Technology

The National Aeronautics and Space

Administration has launched “Mars 2020

Perseverance rover mission” with United Launch

Alliance (ULA) Atlas V rocket to the Red Planet

“Mars”.

Skyroot Aerospace, a Spacetech startup has

successfully test fired an upper stage rocket engine

“Raman” and has become the first Indian private

firm to exhibit the potential to build a homegrown

rocket engine. “Raman” is a 3-D printed rocket

engine which has been named after Nobel laureate

CV Raman.

Air Unique-quality Monitoring (AUM) Photonic

System has been indigenously developed with the

prime objective of real-time remote monitoring of air

quality. It has been developed by Prof. Rao Tatavarti

along with the support of Department of Science and

Technology’s Clean Air Research Initiative.

Google and Central Water Commission(CWC) of

India have launched the flood forecasting initiatives

across India for the past several months.

Defence Institute of Advanced Technology, DIAT

(DU) has launched two products namely


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“Pavitrapati” & “Aushada tara” to fight against

COVID-19.

“Swadeshi Microprocessor Challenge– Innovate

Solutions for #Aatmanirbhar Bharat” has been

launched by the Union Minister of Law & Justice,

Communications and Electronics & Information

Technology, Ravi Shankar Prasad. It aims to invite

innovators, startups and students to use two

microprocessors namely “SHAKTI (32 bit) and VEGA

(64 bit)” to develop various technology products.

SHAKTI & VEGA microprocessors have been

developed by IIT Madras and Center for

Development of Advance Computing (CDAC)

respectively.

Indian Space Research Organisation and Veer

Surendra Sai University of Technology (VSSUT),

Odisha, have signed a MoU to set up the first of its

kind innovation cum incubation centre, VSSUT Space

Innovation Centre (VSSSIC) to promote space

research.

Indian Institute of Technology’s Alumni Council

has signed an agreement with Russia’s Lomonosov

Moscow State University (MSU) and Russoft to build

the world’s largest and fastest hybrid quantum

computer in India.

Books & Authors

Bihar Chief Minister, Nitish Kumar has released a

book titled “Siyasat Mein Sadasyata” authored by

Bihar Assembly Speaker Vijay Kumar Choudhary.

The book, titled “Vishesh: Code To Win”, has been

written by sportswoman-turned-author Nirupama

Yadav and published by the publishing house

Bluerose. The book is set to be released on August 29,

the National Sports Day.

The book, titled “RAW: A History of India”s Covert

Operations” has authored by investigative journalist

and author Yatish Yadav.

The book titled ‘Amazing Ayodhya’ has been

authored by Neena Rai. The book offers “authentic

information” about the city, which will not only help

understand the life and times of ancient Hindus but

also the revered figures of Rama and Sita.

Dalai Lama, will release a new book titled “Our Only

Home: A Climate Appeal to the World” on climate

change with German environmental journalist, Franz

Alt in November.

Union Minister for Information and Broadcasting,

Prakash Javadekar unveiled a book titled

‘Connecting, Communicating, Changing’ that

chronicles Shri M Venkaiah Naidu’s three years in

office as the Vice President of India.

Retired Air Vice Marshal, Arjun Subramaniam has

authored a new book titled, “Full Spectrum: India’s

Wars, 1972-2020″. It is the sequel to his 1st book,

‘India’s Wars: A Military History, 1947-1971’.

Chetan Bhagat has authored a book titled ‘One

Arranged Murder’.

Union Minister, Jitendra Singh has released a book on

cancer named “Gastric Cancer” edited by Dr Ashok

K. Vaid.

A book titled “Who painted my lust red?” has been

authored by Sree Iyer.

A book title ‘Cricket Drona’ on renowned coach

Vasudev Jagannath Paranjpe or Vasoo Paranjape is

written by his son and current national selector Jatin

Paranjpe along with Cricket Journalist Anand Vasu.

Indian Army Chief, General Manoj Mukund Naravane

has released a book titled “National Security

Challenges: Young Scholars’ Perspective” penned

by university students.

Miscellaneous Current Affairs Indian Market regulator, Securities and Exchange

Board of India (SEBI) is planning to set up a virtual

museum of the securities market to highlight

achievements and milestones in the Indian capital

market. Sebi has invited Expression of Interest (EoI)

from agencies to develop the virtual museum.


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Union Minister for Micro, Small and Medium

Enterprises (MSME), Shri Nitin Gadkari has

launched the Khadi’s Gift Box of Silk Mask. The Gift

Box has been developed by Khadi and Village

Industries Commission (KVIC).

The Sahakar Cooptube NCDC Channel has been

launched by the Union Minister of Agriculture &

Farmers’ Welfare Shri Narendra Singh Tomar. The

channel is a new initiative by National Cooperative

Development Corporation (NCDC).

E-Gyan Mitra mobile app has been launched by the

Union Territory of Dadra and Nagar Haveli and

Daman and Diu, to provide online education.

A webinar series on “Hydro-Meteorological

Hazards Risk Reduction” has been organised by the

National Institute of Disaster Management (NIDM)

in collaboration with India Meteorological

Department.

A sports gaming platform, WTF Sports has appointed

cricketers Harmanpreet Kaur and Suresh Raina as

its global brand ambassadors.

Delhi government has launched the "Electric

Vehicle Policy" for the national capital under which

will waive registration fee, road tax, and provide an

incentive of up to ₹1.5 lakh for new cars.

Delhi International Airport Limited (DIAL) has

developed a web portal named ‘AIR SUVIDHA’ for

India-bound international passengers.

Mumbai’s Dadar has become the first city in India

to have women symbols on traffic signals and

signage.

Goa’s traditional festive sweet dish ‘Khaje’, spicy

Harmal Chilli and Myndoli Banana (Moira Banana)

has obtained Geographical Indication (GI) tag from

the Geographical Indications Registry.

The Union Territory of Puducherry has celebrated

its 59th anniversary of the “De-Jure” day on 16th

August.

On the 2nd death anniversary of the former prime

minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee, Chief Minister of

Madhya Pradesh, Shivraj Singh Chouhan has

announced that the Gwalior-Chambal Expressway will

be named Shri Atal Bihari Vajpayee Chambal

Progressway.

Minister of State (I/C), Housing and Urban Affairs,

Hardeep Singh Puri has launched a mobile

application for Urban Local Bodies (ULB)

functionaries.

Delhi Police has signed an Memorandum of

understanding (MoU) with All India Institute of

Ayurveda (AIIA), an autonomous Institute under

Ministry of AYUSH. The MoU will offer Ayurveda

Preventive and Promotive health services in the

residential colonies of Delhi Police through a mobile

unit named ‘Dhanwantari Rath’ and Police

Wellness Centres.

India Post has released a set of five commemorative

postage stamps and a miniature sheet on UNESCO

World Heritage Sites in India on 15th August 2020

on the occasion of 74th Independence Day.

Minister of State (I/C) for Labour and Employment,

Santosh Gangwar has launched the official Logo of

“Labour Bureau”.

Google has launched its employment application

named ‘Kormo Jobs’ in India.

Union Minister of Health & Family Welfare, Dr. Harsh

Vardhan has launched a game on COVID-19 titled as

“The Corona Fighters”.

An innovative feature ‘Open API Service’ has been

introduced by Aarogya Setu to help the people,

businesses and the economy in its efforts to return to

normalcy.

Tata Group is launching a new app named “Super

App” purported to bring together the country’s

disparate sales sector to offer a range of consumer

goods.

Baggage Sanitization & Wrapping machine has

been launched by the Ahmedabad Railway Division

at Ahmedabad Railway Station, Gujarat. It uses

ultraviolet radiation for 360 degree sanitization of the

luggage.


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The Agriculture Department of Jammu and

Kashmir has set up an e-auction portal to enhance

trading of GI-tagged ‘Kashmir Saffron’. The portal

will assure buyers to have access to quality ‘Kashmir

Saffron’.

National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) has

developed a “Vendor Performance Evaluation

System” to create a transparent and comprehensive

‘Performance Rating’ System for its Consultants,

Contractors and Concessionaires.

Delhi Government has launched the Fitness

Campaign “Healthy Body, Healthy Mind” fitness

campaign, for the students who are confined in their

homes amid COVID-19 pandemic.

The Bureau of Police Research and Development

(BPR&D) celebrated its Golden Jubilee Anniversary

on 28th August, 2020. It was raised on 28th August,

1970, through a resolution of Ministry of Home

Affairs, Government of India.

51st International Film Festival of India (IFFI) will

be held in Goa, from November 20th to 28th. This

film festival is a hybrid film festival due to COVID 19,

would screen films on the official digital platform

along with the theatrical screenings.

The Central Industrial Security Force (CISF) has

made an in-house mobile app “Pensioners Corner”.

The mobile app has been created by CISF to reach to

the pensioners and to bring them on to the digital

platform as a one stop solution.

Obituaries

Former Taiwanese President Lee Teng-hui passed

away. He served as president of Taiwan from 1988 to

2000. He was also considered as the “father of

Taiwan’s democracy”.

Rajya Sabha MP and former Samajwadi Party leader

Amar Singh passed away. He was undergoing

treatment in Singapore since past few months.

Cabinet Minister in the Government of Uttar Pradesh,

Kamal Rani Varun passed away due to COVID-19.

Former Andhra Pradesh Minister, Pydikondala

Manikyala Rao passed away due to COVID-19.

Theatre doyen and legendary teacher Ebrahim

Alkazi passed away. He was the longest serving

director of the National School of Drama.

The prominent Northern Ireland politician and

former Nobel Peace Prize winner, John Hume passed

away. He was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in 1998,

along with David Trimble, for his role in ending the

conflict in Northern Ireland.

The American computer engineer who co-invented

the world’s first computer mouse, William Kirk

English passed away.

Former Arunachal Pradesh Governor Ram Pradhan

passed away. The veteran IAS officer also served as a

trustee of the Y B Chavan Pratisthan in Mumbai and

also headed a two-member committee established in

December 2008 to investigate the security forces’

response to the 26/11 Mumbai terror attack.

Former Maharashtra Chief Minister, Shivajirao Patil

Nilangekar passed away. He was a senior Congress

leader, served as the Maharashtra CM between June

1985 and March 1986.

Renowned TV actor, Sameer Sharma passed away.

The 44-year-old actor committed suicide on 5 August

2020, by hanging.

The famous fiction writer and Pulitzer Prize-winner,

Shirley Ann Grau passed away. Shirley won the

Pulitzer Prize for her fourth book, “The Keepers of

the House” in 1965.

Former Congress leader and eight-time

parliamentarian from Telangana, Nandi Yellaiah

passed away.

Former wrestler James Harris,

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